Motor-vehicle truck.



R. FULLER. MOTOR VEHICLE TRUCK. ABPLIOATION PILED Nov.z1,19oe.

900,160. y A Patented o@t.6,190s.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.'

l 3 TNESSES: INVENTOR.

TTORNEXS.

R. FULLER.

MOTOR VEHIGLE TRUCK.

APPLICATION E'ILED NOV. 21,1906.

Patented oet. 6,1908.'

z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR. RO ms \"\\\\e A .ORNEYlS-pu WJTNESSES:

RoDoLrHUs FULLER, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

Metros-vn:eucLE TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

4 Patented Oct. 6, 19e

Application led November 21, 1906. Serial No. 344,387.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, RoDoLPHUs FULLER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit,Vv in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain l new and useful Improvements in Motor-Veh icle Trucks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to vt e accompanying drawings. Thls linvention relates to lmprovements 1n motor vehicles and more especially to two-l wheeled trucks for selfpropelled vehicles which are designed to carry heavy loads and which trucks are provided with their own means of propulsion carried independently of the vehicle framel or body.

The object of the invention is to provide a very compact and convenient arrangement of the parts which is such as to permit of the employment of a variable-speed-transmission gearing1` 4between the motor and driven shaft, Whic shaft is so positioned and arranged as to permit ofthe usein conjunction therewith, of the ordinary form of differential gearing.l f

It is also an object of the invention to so arrange -.the motor and transmission that power will be transmitted to the driven shaft as directly as possible consistent with compactness of arrangement, and so as to distribute the weight ofthe parts and permit o f a convenient arrangement of levers for operat'n the transmission gearing.

A urt er object of the invention is to prevent the transmission of undue vibration lfrom the axle of the motor and driving mech- "amsm, by so constructing and arranging said parts as to adapt them to be suspended from or supported by the ltruck frame which is spring supported upon the axle, and to provide a construction having the several other advantages of theparticular construction, arrangement and combination of parts, 4

all as hereinafter more fully described reference being had to the accompanying drawin s in which l igure 1. is a side elevation of a device embodying the invention, with the wheels removed; Fig. 2 aplan view of the same in an inverted position with parts broken away to show the construction; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section.

As shown in the drawings, 1, 1 are the driving wheels of the truckmounted upon the ends of the axle 2 which sup orts by means of springs 3 secured thereto y clips,

the truck frame 4. A suitable 4body or load carrying frame 5 made up of longitudinal andtransverse channel bars has secured to its lower sidethe upper member 6 of a fifth wheel or circle which member is formed with runupon the lower member 8 of the fifth wheel or circle, lsaid member 8 bein cast integral with and forming a partof t ey truck frame.

Each member of the fifth wheel if formed with spokes connecting its circular track portion with its hub,`the bore of the hub 9 ofv the lower member being smooth and that of ,a groove to receive a series of balls 7 which the hub 10 of the upper member being screwthreaded to recelve the externally screwthreaded end of a tubular member 11 which extends through and turns freely in the hub` 9 and forms the king pin of the fifth wheel,

said king pin being provided with an outwardly extending flange 12 at its lower end to engage the end of the hub and secure the two members of the circle together. .On theV 16 secured upon aA transverse shaft 17u mounted in bearings on the body o r load frame 5, which shaft may be turned 1n any convenient manner to actuate the worm and rotate the lower member of the fifth wheel which being supported upon and secured to the axle will turn the axle to guide the vehicle.

' 4Extending transversely of the vehicle at the extreme rear side of the truck frame 4 and a short distance above 'the horizontal lane of the axle, is a shaft 18 mounted in jiiearings at its outer ends on hangers 19 secured to and extending downward from the truck frame, and arranged parallel. with this shaft, between it and the axle is a driving shaft 20 mounted in bearings upon hangers 21 also secured to the truck frame. Mounted upon this driving shaft at one side of the longitudinal center line of the truck is an electric motor 22 to actuate said shaft, said motor receiving its current fromany suitable source of supply through a cable 23 extending up through the hollow king pin of the truck, Aand upon the other end of said shaft at the opposite side of the truck is mounted va variable speed power transmitting' device 24 of any suitable construction. Upon the driving shaft is a sleeve 25 extending from the transmission gearing toward the motor, the motion of the shaft being changed and imparted to this sleeve by the said` gearing, and on the end of said sleeve at substantially the center of the truck is a pinion 26 in mesh with a large gear 27 connectedv by differential gearing 28 of any suitable arrangement to the two parts of the driven shaft 18 which is divided at the center of said gear. A suitable casing 29`incloses said gears and differential and is secured to the truck frame to form a bearing support for the adjacent ends of the divided driven shaft. On the outer ends of the driven shaft are small sprocket wheels 30 engaged by sprocket chains passing over large sprockets 31 secured upon tee hubs of the driving wheels to transmit motion frplmeachpart of the driven shaft to each w eer.

Suitable levers 32 controlling the operation of the transmission gearing are actuated by a rod or rods 33 extending upward through the tubular king pin in the axis of movement of the truck so that the truck may be turned Without interfering with the operation of said rods.

Having thus fully described the invention what I claim is:

1. In a truck for electric motor vehicle, the combination with a fixed axle and independent driving wheelsthereon, of a drive shaft and a driven shaft substantially in the horizontal plane of the axle and in rear thereof, the driven shaft being in rear of the drive shaft and centrally provided with a differential gear, an electric motorupon one end of the drive shaft, a variable speed transmission gear upon the other end of said shaft and a drive pinion sleeved upon said shaft between the motor and said variable transmission gear and transmitting motion from the transmitting gear to the differential.

f 2. In a truck for electric motor vehicle, the combination with a fixed axle having independent wheels and a truck frame supported by springs upon the axle, of a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft and a driven shaft supported in fixed connection with the truck frame in rear of the'axle independently thereof, the driven shaft being in rear of the drive shaft an d centrally provided with a differential gear', an electric motor upon one end of the drive shaft, a variable speed transmission gear upon the other end of. said shaft, and adrive pinion upon said shaft between the motor and variable speed transmission gear, said pinion provided with a sleeve. connecting the pinion with the transmission gear. I

3. In a truck for motor vehicles, the con bination with an axle and drive wheels on said axle, of springs secured to the axle, a truck frame attached to and supported by said springs and provided with a central hub portion, a bearing circle for the truck consisting of a lower circular member formed integral with the truck frame and an upper circular member formed with a ball bearing groove,` and with a central hub portion correspondin to the hub portion of the truck frame, ba ls in said groove, an outwardly .projecting flange on the upper member, clips on the lower member projecting upward and over said flange, a tubular king pin extending through both hub portions and pivotally connecting the hub portions together, and drive mechanism comprising an electric motor suspended from the said truck frame and having its electrical connections extending upward through the king pin and a variable speed gearing suspended from the truck frame, and provided with operating connections extend.- ing upward through the king pin.

4. In a truck for motor vehicles, the corn.-

sleeve on the other end of said driving shaft, loo

a pinion on said sleeve to transmit motion to the differential, and a change speed gearing on the sleeve connecting the saine with the driving shaft.

5. In a truck for motor vehicles, the, eonrlot bination with the axle and drive wheels. ol' a truck frame spring supported upon the axle. a circle on the truck frame consisting of two parts having hub portions, a tubular king pin extending through the hubs to connect the llo parts, an electric motor supported by the truck frame independently of the axle. and having its electrical connections with its source of energy extending upward through said king pin, means for transmitting nrotion l lo to turn the driving wheels, a variable speed gearing carried by the truck frame to transmit motion from the motor to said means, and means for operating said variable speed lar king pin.

6. In a truck for motor vehicles, the conibination with a xed a-xle and drive wheels mounted to turn freely on said axle. of

'gearing extending upward through the tubu- .12o

springs secured to the axle, a truck frame all-,125

tached to and supported by said springs, a circle on said frame, hangers extending downward from the rear side of the frame and provided with bearings, a divided shaft mounted in said bearings, a differential gearing' connecting thedivided ends. of said siiaft, tvv'eensaid motor and variable speed transf a casing inclosing said diiferential and formed 'mission ear and transmitting motion to the.

with bearings for the said ends of the divided differential, s aid drive pinion providedwith 15 shaft said easingbeing securedv to the truck a sleeve connecting it With the transmission timide, s rockets. on thejouter 'ends'l of the .gear.` y divided s aft, sprockets onfthe drive 4Wheels i In testimony whereof I affix my signature .ani sprockflest cfbhains elgging saliilspro'lkes, in ,presence of two witnesses. a rivings at eXtenfg ara e wit te Y divided ehefe between eeiefehefe and axle, ,i RODOLPHLS FULLER 1o an electric motor on one end of said shaft., a Witnesses: variable speed trai'ismission` gear on the y OTTO F. BARTHEL, other end of said shaft and a.' drive pinionbe` v ANNA M. Domi 

